In society there are only two mechanisms of interaction which bring together strangers in a systematic way: Trade and Authority. In small groups of friends we observe affection, mutual goals and common concerns; but the small group model cannot be expanded to include society at large because nobody has enough time to learn, to exchange enough information, to “make friends” with enough people. A politician tries to be your friend, but this is hypocrisy and everyone knows that his handshake is not worth a cup of coffee, and that his smile won’t lower taxes if he is elected. Continue reading Free Trade

The fundamental right of any individual is the right to life, sustained by freedom of choice, and the right to control the property he earns through his efforts or through voluntary exchange with other individuals. Any person has the right to defend, by force if necessary, his life, liberty and property. A man’s existence and what he has earned is not the property of others. Man is not a slave … he is not an animal to be sacrificed to the desires, whims or needs of other individuals. When the property of a man (his life, or that which sustains it) is taken from him by force, the action is known as THEFT. Continue reading Taxation Is Theft

The most fundamental ethical issue at this time, or at any other time, is the issue of “human rights”. The most important conflicts in history, great revolutions against tyrants, civil wars and world wars, have been fought in the name of “human rights”. And the battles still continue. Today, students take over universities, and the poor demand a guaranteed annual income — also in the name of “human rights”. Such conflicts clearly do more to violate the rights of all than to further the cause of anyone. If ever man is to live in peace with his fellow and his self, it is imperative that the concept of human rights be precisely and rationally formulated. Continue reading Human Rights

One of the most used concepts in discussions of international affairs today is the “right to national self-determination”. It is defined as the right of a nation of people to choose its own system of government without outside interference. But, in fact, the “right” of national self-determination is not a right at all. It is a confused, self-contradictory principle that is being used to aid in the destruction of freedom throughout the world. Continue reading National Self-Determination — A Force for Slavery